CM Punk References AEW Fights During WWE SmackDown Promo

CM Punk couldn’t help himself during a WWE SmackDown promo where he made some interesting comments about his past altercations.

At WWE Survivor Series in Chicago, CM Punk shocked the wrestling world by returning to WWE nearly ten years after leaving the company. Since his debut, he did a promo to end the November 27th edition of WWE Raw, which was a bit abrupt since it was the end of the show and time was running out.

For the first time in nearly a decade, CM Punk appeared on WWE SmackDown from Providence, which was also the Tribute to the Troops episode. Punk was wearing his brand new “Hell Froze Over” since that’s what he said to open his Raw promo similar to what his wrestling idol Bret Hart said in January 2010 after his shocking WWE return.

When Punk began this promo, he mentioned it was the 9 p.m. hour, so that meant he could speak longer without running up against the end of the show. Punk said that Adam Pearce is trying to sign him to Monday Night Raw. Punk stated he’s partly going to leave it up to the fans to decide where he signs: Raw, SmackDown, or even NXT.

While not officially declaring himself as an entrant for the Royal Rumble, Punk asked the fans if they wanted him to throw 29 superstars over the top rope and point at a sign and main event WrestleMania? The fans chanted “CM Punk” for that.

At that point, CM Punk decided to mention some big names. Punk suggested he could talk about somebody who is not here and somebody who is never here – Roman Reigns. Punk said he acknowledged Roman Reigns and congratulated him on all his success, but don’t forget who the OG Paul Heyman Guy is. Punk said that Heyman was his Wise Man first.

As he continued, Punk mentioned everybody had welcomed him back with open arms, except for that one guy – a reference to the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth “Freakin” Rollins. Punk said that he is not going to put any stock into what he has to say and it’s because he is not even The Man in his own household, which was a reference to Seth being married to “The Man” Becky Lynch. The fans sang Seth’s song. Punk said that all Seth has is that song and they should keep it up, so the fans kept singing it.

It’s important to note that Punk didn’t mention Seth by name, but that’s obviously who he was talking about.

Punk would go on to say that we’ll find out where he signs on Monday’s Raw. Punk said he’ll talk to SmackDown GM Nick Aldis, Shawn Michaels of NXT and Raw’s GM Adam Pearce. Punk said he’ll make his decision on Monday in the city where he walked out of this place. Punk said that everybody is talking about finishing their story. Punk said that he’s going to begin his journey to finish his story and that means one thing…main eventing WrestleMania.

How Did CM Punk Reference His Backstage Issues In AEW?

At one point in the CM Punk promo, a fan shouted out something about Kevin Owens, which led to Punk referencing the brash WWE veteran while also referring to his AEW past.

“Kevin’s a little bit prickly and him and I are probably too much alike. And I don’t know who would feel comfortable working with somebody who randomly just punches people in the face backstage. I mean, it’s 2023 ladies and gentlemen! You just can’t be doing stuff like that. That’s insane!”

The fans didn’t react to it that much, but Punk was referring to his backstage fights in AEW. The reason he did it there is because Kevin Owens has been punching people like Grayson Waller & Austin Theory, so it made sense for Punk to say it while talking about Owens.

During his two-year run in All Elite Wrestling, CM Punk got in a backstage fight with The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega at All Out in September 2022. One year later at AEW All In London 2023, CM Punk got into an argument and fight with Jack Perry moments before Punk’s match with Samoa Joe. Punk did other things that day that angered AEW management, which led to AEW firing Punk a week later. That is what opened the door for Punk’s WWE return at Survivor Series.

On WWE’s YouTube channel, they posted CM Punk’s promo in full, which is not something they always do. Clearly, they want their fans to see it.